A Note About Postage
Depending on who you are, postage is either something you’ve been thinking about since you got engaged (more likely since you started thinking about your invitations) or the day you’re dropping off 100+ suites at the post office to hand cancel! Either way you’re in luck because there are so many great options these days! With a little bit of planning either on your own or with your designated stationer you can find the perfect compliment to your wedding suite. Between custom artwork and vintage postage there are a million options. And nowadays current postage has upped their game. The last couple of years I’ve lucked out for my clients with really great current postage. Some favorites are the “love” stamps by Rifle Paper Co (no longer available) and the winter berry series that came out late last year. I ordered extras for future brides as they are a limited series and once sold out other sellers outside of usps may charge up to 5 times its face value (yikes!).
So with postage it all depends on the look you’re going for and what your budget is. Vintage postage ($$$) can really bring the perfect charm to your envelopes and gives you the most options when it comes to imagery and color. It tends to run about 3-5x face value. Custom postage ($$) can pull your look all the way through to the fine details. Either a monogram, drawing or illustration from the suite can be tied into the postage design. This is about 2x face value. Current postage ($) is limited to what is currently released at the time of your wedding but is the most affordable as you will only be paying the face value of the postage. However if you start looking early you may get lucky and find something that suits you as a couple and the look you’re going for.
Some things I‘ve figured out over the years (sometimes the hard way).
Did you know that if your envelope is oriented vertically then they automatically charge you for a 2 ounce letter?
A square envelope has specific postage needed because it can not go through their automated machines and requires to be done by hand so they will charge you more. There are specific stamps for this too at USPS.
Champion Stamp in New York was my absolute favorite place for vintage postage. It was right by my old office so I could run up there on my lunch break. They had lots of binders to flip through and I could spend hours there. Sadly their online platform isn’t the most user friendly so I don’t use them as much anymore. I’ve also been enjoying designing my own postage on Zazzle.